


Fire Escape

by Astronomic



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2020-03-06 03:44:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18842944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astronomic/pseuds/Astronomic
Summary: Serendipitous meetings and a rickety old fire escape wasn't what Annabeth had predicted for her third year of college





	1. Chapter 1

The rusted grate creaked ominously. Annabeth paused her movements, clinging to the side of the window frame while the ball of her foot pressed against the fire escape floor. She tested with her weight again, and besides some creaking, no more scary sounds came. Annabeth continued her climb out the window, a lot less zealously this time, until she was standing fully, her hands out as if that would stop the fire escape from ripping out of the wall and plummeting her to her death.

She wiggled her toes; the metal was hotter than she expected it to be. Relenting, she sat down on the window sill, and propped her feet up on a protruding brick. Finally, she took a breath and allowed herself to take in the view.

The sprawling metropolis was laid out in front of her, apartment buildings and high rises of uneven heights and differing architecture. The gridlock streets below were channels of noise and energy. And if Annabeth squinted, she could see the iconic silhouette of the Empire State building. 

The wind whipped at her face, carrying with it the the smell of car exhaust and what she guessed was the shawarma restaurant across the street. It was a welcome break from the dust and cardboard clinging to her nose. She frowned at the thought of all the boxes left to unpack. Her bedroom was an absolute mess. The bed frame was assembled and a mattress settled on top but that was about it. Several boxes were scattered around the room, mostly on her bed. Three Ikea boxes were left abandoned by the far wall. Annabeth didn’t even want to think about the living room. Maybe she should’ve taken her dad up on that offer to help. 

“Well, it’s not going to unpack itself,” Annabeth said to herself. Stealing one last look of the cityscape, Annabeth swung her legs over the sill, and climbed back into the cardboard jungle.

 

-

 

Annabeth stopped sucking at her swollen thumb when the elevator landed at the ground floor. Two Ikea boxes were tackled, but she had been bested by the nightstand. Maybe assembling furniture for two hours straight at 10pm was a bad idea, but she was too determined to stop until she nailed her thumb with the hammer instead of the dowel. It was then she decided to take a break. 

The lobby was modern, but simple. Black cement tile, a large reflective concierge desk tucked away in the corner, two white columns and a smattering of large fake plants in red vases. Annabeth nodded at the concierge as she walked past. He flashed her a Hollywood smile and a small wave. But Annabeth could see annoyance behind his eyes. She had been trudging furniture through his lobby all morning, after all. 

Beside the desk was a simple door that led to the mailroom. There were much more exciting amenities in the building to checkout, but the gym and pool were closed at 9:30. Annabeth shuffled with her key ring as she pushed the door open with her shoulder. The room was small and rectangular, with yellowed paint and a wiry grey carpet that snagged the bottom of her slippers. Three of the four walls were lined with mail hatches. Annabeth shook her head, not sure what she was expecting. 

She stepped closer, counting the rows until she found her floor. With her finger she ran along the metal doors, trying to spot her room number.

  1. _Perfect_. 



Annabeth stuck the key in the slot and jerked it to the right. The key stayed stuck in place as her injured thumb went skipping over the edge. Annabeth hissed, her bruised thumb flaring with pain. Determined, she tried with her other hand, but the key wouldn’t budge. 

“Come on, you little fucker,” Annabeth threatened through clenched teeth. She could feel her hand turning red with effort, but after the Ikea incident she wasn’t willing to give up without a fight. 

“I swear I’m gonna get my hammer and smash you in myself you fucking stubborn little piece of nickel fucking shit-” 

“Do you need help?”

Annabeth jumped and whipped around. In the heat of her battle, she hadn’t noticed someone else entering the mailroom. Her shocked turned to embarrassment because _holy shit he was cute_.

About her age and a head taller, his smile was crafted to be polite, but his eyes betrayed him. Green, and glittering with amusement. His tan skin and windswept black hair looked like he just stepped off a beach in Miami. Annabeth cursed in her head. 

_He even made fluorescent lighting look good._  

“Uh,” Annabeth forced herself to stop staring, “Maybe. I’m not sure if it’s the key or the lock but I can’t get it to open.” 

“Oh it’s absolutely the lock. There’s a trick to it, here I’ll show you.” 

Tall Dark and Handsome stepped forward, and Annabeth was immediately aware that she was standing in slippers and pyjama pants with her hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun. And _not_ in a cute way.

She placed her key in his outstretched hand and shuffled aside, trying not to think about how the harsh light must be hitting her face at all the wrong angles.

“You have to actually pull it back a little, almost like your gonna take the key back out. Then you just gotta wiggle it a bit, until...” The key finally relented with a click. Her helper swung open her little mail hatch, and turned back to her with a charming smile, “Voilá.”

“My hero,” Annabeth said with sarcastic praise. Oh no, was she trying to flirt with him?

He laughed, way too adorably for his own good, and relocked her mailslot. “It’s easy once you get the hang of it. Here,” he tossed her keys back to her. 

Annabeth caught them easily. “Well thank you, I’ll know for next time.” God, was that really the best she could do? 

“Yeah, no worries. You’d think they could update them a bit with how much rent we pay, but hey,” the stranger shrugged, and pulled out his own set of keys, “Capitalism.” 

“I would argue that it falls more under gentrification, since it’s more of an exploitation on the need to live somewhere and anywhere with passable accommodations. So the units are nice, but the mailboxes don’t matter, you know?” 

He gave her a look that she couldn’t decipher, but she guessed it fell along the lines of _what the fuck_ and _why the fuck_. She cursed her mouth. Sometimes she forgot not everything was a classroom debate. “But capitalism sucks too.”

“Right,” he smiled amusedly. 

Annabeth was about to step away and bid her goodbyes before she dug herself any further, when she noticed the mailbox he opened. 

1004, directly under hers. 

“Oh hey, I live right above you.” 

He smiled, “Seems so. I didn’t want to ask, but was that you making all that noise a while ago?”

 Annabeth could feel heat flare in her cheeks and spread to the tips of her ears. It’s not that she really cared about stupid cute boys, but this one was the stupidly cutest one she’s seen in a while, and if her not-flirting didn’t help her case, then her two hours of banging and swearing at furniture closed that proverbial door. She gave an awkward laugh, edging towards the exit. He followed her with his eyes, his stupid dazzling smile stealing words from her tongue. 

“Aha, well you know…” Annabeth gestured vaguely, “Ikea.”

“Oh I _do_ know.”

 Annabeth reached behind her for the door handle, the breeze from the lobby cooling her blush. “Yes well, if I need help opening more things, I know where to find you.” _Oh my god shut the fuck up._

 He laughed and Annabeth wanted to punch herself in the face. In the back of her mind, she noticed he hadn’t taken out the small stack of mail from his box yet, either too fascinated with their conversation to take it (unlikely), or gracing her with a chance of escape (most likely).

 “Anytime, ceiling neighbour.”

 Annabeth offered the best parting smile she could produce and slipped out of the mailroom. It then dawned on her, during her best discreet power walk to the elevator, that Cute and Adorable could only wait so long in that tiny room and eventually would come out to use the elevator, of which he only lived one floor below her. And if she didn’t feel awkward enough, riding in the elevator with him after escaping would make it worse. It took Annabeth half a second to decide on her alternate route, and if unpacking all day, smashing her thumb with a hammer, and making a fool of herself in front of a cute boy couldn’t get worse, walking up eleven flights of stairs was just the cherry on top.

 

-

 

The blaring alarm ripped Annabeth out of her sleep. She flailed for her phone, mildly panicked, and smashed the snooze button. She flopped onto her back. The last two weeks of August had spoiled her with late nights and sleeping in, but now that school was starting she had to force herself back into a proper sleep schedule, which meant the worst phone alarm she could choose until she was conditioned to wake up early. It was a special torture done out of self-love or hate, of which she wasn't quite sure.

Annabeth checked her phone, the too-bright screen piercing the back of her eyes. She had five minutes left on the snooze, enough time to close her eyes and gently wake herself up-

She didn’t realize she’d fallen asleep until she was being jolted awake again, and this time Annabeth turned off the alarm. Stakes were high now, and she had no choice but to get up. She pushed herself into a sitting position. A light breeze fluttered the curtains, the never-ending sound of traffic seeping in through her open window. The sky was pale grey, streaked with pink and blue. It’d been a while since Annabeth had seen this colour of morning.

With a groan, she flung the bedcovers off her, and padded clumsily to the bathroom. She was in desperate need of two things: cold shower, hot coffee. And in that moment, Annabeth remembered she was all out of coffee.

 

-

 

The line for the college Starbucks wasn’t monstrously long, but Annabeth still stood there with heavy eyes and a vacant expression. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a fact about caffeine being as addictive as nicotine rolled around, but she was too tired to care. As much as Annabeth loved having her own apartment, living in residence the two years before meant she got to the caffeine much faster.

Eventually, the line crawled forward until she could give her order, and shuffled off to the side with the other zombie-like students waiting for their morning fix. She meandered around the small seating area, looking for an open table to sit while she waited. She came across a table with three football players, all sat wide-legged and dressed in letterman jackets, flashing the school colours. One was asian, with close cropped black hair and a sweet face that mismatched his broad chest. The second was the whitest, blondest white guy she’d ever seen, and the third-

_Oh shit._

His green eyes met her gaze just as she looked at him. She could see the nonchalance morph to recognition, interrupting himself to smile broadly, which made her breath catch in her throat. _Did he do that on purpose?_

“Ceiling neighbor!” he exclaimed excitedly, and Annabeth decided he was definitely doing it on purpose. His two friends turned their attention to her, obviously curious about what the fuck _ceiling neighbour_ was supposed to mean.

Annabeth stopped, putting on her best Awake Face. At least this time her hair was washed and concealer minimized her eye bags. “Hey!”

He sat up, way too energetic for the time of morning. “I was wondering where you disappeared too. I almost thought you moved out.”

Annabeth couldn’t help but smile. “Well you know, unpacking took forever, then I was out a lot getting to know the area.”

“That’s fair. Hey, these are my buddies, Frank and Jason.” Frank waved and Jason nodded. “Guys, this is my neighbour, uh…”

It dawned on Annabeth then that neither of them knew each other’s names. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, while Frank and Jason gave him an incredulous look.

“Wow that’s awkward, I actually don’t know your name. I’m Percy.”

_Percy._ She liked that.

“Annabeth,” she said with a small wave.

The two boys were failing to stifle their laughs, Jason turning to Annabeth with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry about him, he’s such an idiot.”

“Hey!” Percy protested. She might have been seeing things, but Annabeth swore she saw a bit of red tinge his cheeks.

“He means well though,” Frank added, reaching to squish Percy’s face with his hand. When he moved, Annabeth caught an embroidered ‘C’ on Frank’s jacket. Annabeth checked Jason’s jacket. A white ‘A’ stood out against the dark purple wool. It seemed she was in the midst of some varsity VIPs. On a whim she glanced at Percy’s jacket… which also flashed a white ‘C’.

“Wait, sorry,” Annabeth interrupted their goofing off, “You’re both the football captain?”

Frank let go of Percy’s face, and clapped it on his shoulder instead. “No, _I’m_ the football captain. Percy’s the captain of the swim team.”

“Which isn’t as important, but still respectable,” Jason cut in.

“I can swim _and_ run circles around you, Grace,” Percy defended.

“Yeah but you can’t throw for shit.”

“Throwing isn't my concern!”

The Starbucks barista calling Annabeth’s name broke her from their squabble. “Well I should get going,” Annabeth said, checking her watch. “It was nice meeting you guys.”

Percy waved, clearly relieved to be freed from his friends’ torment. “Don’t be a stranger. And hey, you’re coming to the Homecoming game, right?”

Annabeth hesitated. Big team sports weren’t usually her thing, especially if it meant being out late at night with thousands of screaming people. “Uh, maybe. We’ll see.”

The boys pretended to look hurt, but let her go with some waves. As Annabeth strode away with her coffee, she could hardly fight back the small smile. It was hardly like her to get like this so quickly over someone she just met, but there was something about him. Something precious and kind. She stole a glance back at them and her heart stuttered. He was watching her go, quickly turning to his friends after being caught. A cute, polite boy who was captain of an athletic team and lived right below her?

_Ah shit._ She was in trouble.


	2. Chapter 2

The first week passed by in a flash. The school was gearing up for the Homecoming game. Purple, white, and orange banners were pinned above the main entrance, and posters and streamers decorated the halls. The team mascot, a Spartan dressed in purple robes with an orange plume helmet, ran down the halls, collecting cheers and high fives. In the main concourse, the football team gathered, chanting and pounding their chests. The cheerleading team circled around them, shaking their pom-poms and doing the occasional split or high kick.

As Annabeth passed by the commotion, she spotted Percy in the huddle, waving around a huge school flag the best he could. She’d bumped into him a few times in the school hallways and around the apartment complex, but that was it. And it’d be weird to just kinda show up at his apartment for no reason. It didn’t bother her that much. Schoolwork was already starting to pile up, and her friends were enough of a distraction already.

She shouldered open the study hall doors, already spotting Hazel at their usual table. Her red ochre hair was pulled into a high puff with a white ribbon. Some curls fell into her eyes that she brushed away when Annabeth plopped down beside her.

“Not to be a downer, but after two years all this school spirit is starting to get under my skin,” Annabeth confessed.

Hazel giggled and returned to her notes. “It only lasts for today. Tomorrow everyone will be too hungover to make a sound.”

“At least there’s that.”

Annabeth barely had time to unpack her notes when Piper burst into the room, scurrying over to them without concern of the annoyed glances from other students thrown her way. Hazel and Annabeth braced themselves as Piper threw herself in the seat across from them. “Guess who has a date with the quarterback?”

 Annabeth shared an amused glance with Hazel. “Uh… you?”

“Me, bitch!” Piper exclaimed, pointing her two thumbs towards herself. “Just happened, like, ten minutes ago. It took a while to plant the seeds, but I finally got him to ask me out. And he thought it was his idea too.”

Hazel shook her head in awe, “You’re going to be a terrifying politician one day.” 

“Thank you,” Piper said graciously, realigning her thick braid back over her shoulder. “I will rule this country one day, but for now I’ll use my jedi mind tricks on hot guys and teachers who give me bad grades.”

“No one does it like you, Pipes,” Annabeth grinned. 

“I know. So, what time are we meeting tonight? I’m trying to get front row seats,” Piper rested her chin on her interlocked hands, staring intently at her friends. If anyone thought her gift was with words, they were wrong. It was Piper’s eyes that hooked you in: intense, and impossible to discern what colour. Once she had you in her sights, it was impossible to leave until she got what she wanted.

 Annabeth felt dread bloom in her chest, knowing that was about to happen. “Well, I kind of wasn’t planning on going.”

 Piper’s shoulders dropped dramatically. “What? Why?”

 “I don’t know, it’s not really my thing.”

 Hazel put her pencil down. “Oh come on, Beth. You bailed the last two years, just come with us. It’s fun!”

 “Et tu, Hazel?” Annabeth felt herself being backed into a mental corner.

 “I’m putting my foot down this year.”

 “How could you?” Annabeth said, betrayed

 Piper grabbed Hazel’s hand, and looked accusingly at Annabeth. “Say no to me all you want, but you’d be cruel to deny Hazel and you know it.”

 She did know it. “But I barely know or care about football.”

 “You think I give a damn about football?” Piper fired back, “No. I give a damn about being young, and free, and out with my girls on the last night of the year that we won’t have to worry about exams or homework. And I care about you being sixty years old, not looking back on your life and realizing you’ve wasted your youth on reflection papers and readings that aren’t due until next week. And I promise I’ll let you go back to your hermit ways, but tonight, I want you to have some damn _fun_. Are you with us?”

 Annabeth was cornered by their expectant expressions, and with a sigh she held her hands up in surrender. “Alright, I guess I have no choice.”

 Piper smacked the table with her hand, earning some shushes from other students. She winced, and lowered her voice, “We’re meeting at the football stadium seven o’clock sharp. We are _getting_ those front row seats. Later, babes!” And with that, she was gone.

 Annabeth sat there, defeated and mildly sweaty. Hazel rubbed her arm comfortingly. “She always gets her way. You’re going to have fun tonight, trust me.”

 She took solace in Hazel’s assurance. Maybe blind cynicism was getting old.

 

-

 

The stadium full of cheering students was cacophonous and oppressive. Annabeth clapped along, which was the only thing keeping her from covering her ears. Piper and Hazel whooped and cheered on either side of her. They had gotten their front row seats smack in the middle, which made Piper very happy. The stadium seats were decked out in banners and ribbons, and the crowd was a wave of purple and orange. On the other end of the field, the guest team crowd was a sea of blue and gold.

 From left field, the two team mascots ran out onto the turf. The guest mascot, a bald eagle, was pretending to fly, running around in figure eights and large circles. The home mascot was running back and forth along the crowd, brandishing a rubber spear and shield while the students chanted “Spartans! Spartans! Spartans! Spartans!” 

 Against her will, Annabeth found herself joining the cheer. She had to admit, the energy on the field was completely infectious.

 Not long after, the cheerleading squads and the football teams themselves stormed onto the field. Against her better judgement, Annabeth found herself scanning the team, hoping to catch a glimpse of her neighbour. But they were all clad in white helmets, and Annabeth didn’t know what Percy’s number or last name was.

 “Looking for someone?” Hazel’s voice was suddenly in her ear, barely heard over the noise.

 Annabeth tried to wave it off. “No? Why would I be?”

 “What’s happening?” Piper leaned in, squishing Annabeth between the two of them. She was never one to be left out.

 “Annabeth’s looking for someone,” Hazel grinned.

 “Ooh la la. Who is it?” 

 “No one, I’m not looking for anyone!” Annabeth shouldered her laughing friends out of her personal space.

 “Sure thing, babe,” Hazel conceded, sharing a look with Piper.

 The cheering quieted down as the teams huddled up on their respective sides. After a pep talk from the coaches, one player from each team broke off from the huddle and met with a referee in the middle of the field. Annabeth spotted the ‘C’s plastered on the fronts of their jerseys. Frank and the opposing captain met at the middle as the referee pulled a coin out of his pocket.

 “Call it!” said the ref as he flipped the coin.

 “Heads,” claimed the opposition.

 “Tails!” said Frank.

 The referee revealed the side. “Heads!”

 The guest crowd cheered as the captain chose opposition. The teams broke into their formations on the field. The players were frozen in their starting positions, like chess pieces lined neatly on a board.

 Then the ball snapped, and their organized lines collided with a crash of helmets. The game had begun. Annabeth sat back with the girls, cheering and chanting with the crowd. She was so caught up in the excitement she barely noticed popcorn and other snack favours spilling on her seat from rows behind.

 The first two quarters ended in a blur of excitement and adrenaline. The score was 16-10 to the Eagles, but that didn’t dampen the consistent support from the home crowd. Annabeth took a giant swig of her gatorade, only now realizing that she nearly screamed her throat raw. _Damn, I’m gonna feel that tomorrow._  

 The teams broke from the field, pools of jerseys trickling to their perspective sides. Despite herself, Annabeth started scanning the crowd of sweaty faces who were starting to shed their helmets. Just when she thought she wouldn’t find him, Percy’s face emerged behind a white helmet. His cheeks were flushed and glistening, and parts of his black hair were stuck to his forehead. He was smiling, despite being six points behind, like the adrenaline rush couldn’t keep it off his face. Annabeth’s own lips curved up; she was starting to notice how infectious his smile was.

 “Did you find him?” Hazel interrupted her thoughts, staring in the same direction as Annabeth, “Which one is he?”

 “None of them, I told you!” Annabeth felt her face get hot.

 Piper entered from her right, a shit-eating grin plastered on her face, “Then why are you smiling?”

 “ _I’m not!_ ”

 Percy suddenly broke from the huddle of players and jogged towards the bleacher rails. Annabeth tried her best not to panic that he might be coming towards her. But he wasn’t looking in her direction, and once he reached the rails she saw who he was looking at.

 A student stood a few people down from where she was sitting. He leveraged himself up on a cane and met Percy at the rail. Purple and orange was spray painted in his coiled black hair, and a bright white 23 was painted on his cheek. They clapped hands, leaning in to talk. Annabeth couldn’t hear what they were saying over the din of the audience, but it was cute watching them talk, like they were old friends.

 She was about to turn away, when Percy bid his friend goodbye and turned towards her, that dazzling smile still plastered on his face. Annabeth felt her heart skip a beat, and he was definitely walking towards her now. He stopped in front of them, leaning his forearms on the rails. Annabeth tried her best to ignore the girls beside her.

 “You came,” he grinned, “I wasn’t sure you’d make it.”

  _Fuck._ “Yeah! Well I’ve never come to a game before, and these two convinced me, so,” Annabeth tried to deflect his attention off of her to give her a moment to catch her breath. Hazel and Piper waved. Percy nodded to the both of them, but hesitated with Piper.

 “Aren’t you Jason’s girl?” he asked. 

“Not yet,” Piper smiled deviously, “But I’m working on it.”

 Percy laughed and Annabeth’s heart squeezed. God, she hated hopeless crushes. “Alright, I respect that.” Percy turned his attention back to Annabeth, taking his arms off the rails, “I’ll see you at the victory party.”

 “But we’re losing,” Annabeth couldn’t help but smile.

 “For now,” Percy winked, and then he was gone.

 Annabeth stared straight ahead, feeling the heated gaze of her friends.

 “Percy Jackson is your mystery boy and you _didn’t_ tell us?” Piper spoke first, slightly insulted.

 “That man is a snack,” Hazel joined.

 “He’s a whole goddamn meal,” Piper countered.

 “Shut up!” Annabeth could feel her ears burning. “How do you know him anyway?”

 “Through Jason,” Piper said, as if it were obvious. Which, admittedly, it was.

 “He’s friends with Nico,” Hazel shrugged, popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth.

 Piper frowned at the mention of Hazel’s cousin. “He’s friends with Percy? I thought Nico didn’t care for jock-types. Something about the glorification of sports and capitalism.”

 Hazel waved it off, “Apparently they were friends in high school.”

 “Right. Well, regardless. Annabeth has been holding out on us, Haze,” Piper’s tone was dripping with fake hurt, and Annabeth hung her head in preemptive defeat. She felt Piper’s arm slither around her shoulders. “What should her punishment be?”

 Hazel looked towards the sky, a finger on her chin as if she was pretending to think. “Well I don’t know about you, Pipes, but I think she’s needed at an after party.”

 “I think you’re absolutely right, Hazel.”

 Annabeth covered her eyes with a groan and leaned into Piper’s shoulder, unable to keep the grin off her face, “You guys are so annoying!”

 The girls’ laughs were drowned out by the air horn announcing half-time was over. The roar of cheers filled the night air again, and this time, Annabeth knew who to keep an eye on. Jackson. Number 23. She tried not to think too hard about how broad his shoulders looked in football padding.

 The boys donned their helmets like warriors gearing up for battle. The Spartans huddled up, arms slung over shoulders as Frank led a rallying chant. The home audience joined in the chant, with half the crowd rising to their feet. Though Annabeth didn’t know the words, she jumped up with Piper and Hazel, clapping along to the rhythm. It ended with the team pounding their chest three times with the guttural cry: “THIS! IS! SPARTA!”

 The war cry echoed into the stars. The atmosphere had shifted; it was no longer a fun college game with high spirits and adrenaline. This was war. When the game broke the tide had clearly shifted. The Spartans weren’t taking any prisoners. Their plays were aggressive, their throws precise, and everything so perfectly calculated. Annabeth couldn’t have strategized it better herself.

 Home team quickly caught up to the Eagles' six point lead and easily surpassed it. But the opposers weren't letting them get away without a fight. The rest of the game was nail-bitingly close, with the lead switching back and forth almost every play. Annabeth didn’t realize her and Piper were holding hands so tightly that her palm ached when they relaxed their grip.

 There was twenty seconds left on the clock. The score was 30-28 for the Spartans, but they weren’t in the clear yet. The Eagles were on the offence, and they were set up neatly near the end zone for an easy six-point touchdown. On the field, Annabeth could see Frank whisper something to Percy before he knelt down in the defensive line. Percy jogged back to his starting position. He was bouncing on his toes, his hands clenched, like he was a thoroughbred in the starting gates just barely holding himself back.

 The ball snapped. The crack of colliding helmets. Fifteen seconds. And then the ball was in the air, soaring over the players and crossing the touchdown line. It happened in slow motion: the Eagle’s wide receiver sprinting for the ball, Percy right on his heels. Annabeth held her breath. With a burst of power, Percy dug his foot into the ground and launched himself forward. The ball collided with his outstretched hand and he tucked it into his body, crashing to the ground with a roll. The airhorns blasted when the clock hit 0:00.

 Annabeth didn’t remember jumping to her feet, but there she was, screaming and holding her hands in the air with the rest of the crowd. The Spartan players streamed to the end zone where Percy had gotten to his feet and slammed the football to the ground in victory. A group of men in the crowd were chanting “CORNERBACK! CORNERBACK! CORNERBACK!” Annabeth knew it was just a homecoming game. She knew in a month from now, this victory will be forgotten in the face of mid-terms, but right now it was the most important thing in the world. And probably the sexiest thing she’d ever seen.

 Annabeth pulled Piper close, almost shouting in her ear, “Where’s the victory party, again?”

 Piper only smiled wide, and gave a pointed look to Hazel. Annabeth didn’t care what her friends were thinking. All she knew was that it was time to get to know Percy Jackson as more than just neighbours.

 

-

 

The frat house was actually a brownstone nestled smack dab in the middle of a block of vintage looking townhouses. Above every entrance there were colourful banners with different greek mottos. They called it Greek Row, fraternities on one side, sororities on the other. Some were shut, with the lights off and windows closed, but most had their doors and windows thrown open, loud music and excited voices pouring into the street. Annabeth could hear the street wide party from a block away.

 When the girls stepped in, they were greeted with a disorienting mix of music and shouting. The smell of alcohol and sweat was already starting to cling to the air. Someone had set up beer pong in the common area, a drunken match of girls versus boys halfway started. The kitchen looked like a mini bar, with liquor bottles littering every surface available, and a paltry few bowls of chips and finger food half demolished by the partygoers. Before Annabeth could even decide what to do, Piper grabbed her hand, and led the two girls towards the stairs.

 “Come on, I brought some clothes and left them in Jason’s room. Let’s go change now before people start coming up here,” Piper said, leading the girls up the two flights of stairs.

 “You have things in Jason’s room?” Annabeth quirked her brow. She was more interested in this than whatever Piper was going to force her in to. She’d resigned herself to a night of breaking comfort levels already.

 “Yeah, I also fucked him and it was great. Keep up, Annabeth,” Piper winked.

 Hazel laughed as they reached the top of the stairs, “You’re gonna have to us tell all about later, you know that?”

 “Obviously,” Piper grinned, opening a door straight across from the stairway, “But right now we have better things to worry about, like getting Annabeth laid by Percy motherfuckin’ Jackson.”

 Annabeth stopped dead in her tracks, sputtering over her words, “Piper! I- Wha- I’m not- getting laid by him!” A weak argument, but that’s all she could muster.

 “Oh,” Piper’s tone changed on a dime, soft and reassuring. “I’m sorry Annabeth, I didn’t realize you didn’t want to sleep with him. We’ll get off your back about it, right Hazel?”

 “Of course,” Hazel joined in, “We’d never push you towards anyone you don’t want to have sex with.”

 Annabeth took too long of a pause. “Well, I didn’t… say that.”

 Piper and Hazel high fived each other, their caring intentions melting away. “I knew it. Lock the door, the team will be here soon!”

Twenty minutes later, the girls had strapped Annabeth into a black, backless bodysuit, with high-waisted light wash skinny jeans and a pair of strappy black heels. Not too high with a thick heel - despite the teasing, Annabeth felt solace in the fact that the girls still cared about her comfort level, despite pushing her boundaries just a little.

 Hazel had chosen a pair of ripped daisy dukes and a white halter crop top, and Piper slipped into a dark green body con dress. After some adjustments to hair and makeup, they were deemed party ready and were released into the wild.

 The brownstone had accumulated more partygoers, and the beer pong table was now glistening and sticky with spilled alcohol. The snacks were in a sad state, with someone deciding to leave the chip bags open instead of pouring them into the bowls. One bag had half a bottle of vodka tipped over onto it. Piper appeared on Annabeth’s left with three shot glasses in her hand filled with amber liquid. Annabeth didn’t even realize she had gone.

 “To my girls,” Piper shouted over the music, “Whom I love. May we always have fun.”

The girls clinked glasses and downed the shots. The whiskey seared Annabeth’s through going down, the tinge of cinnamon not lessening the burn. Annabeth was considering another for good measure, when a commotion broke out near the front of the brownstone. The football team had arrived, and they were received with clapping and whooping from the buzzed students. Annabeth’s heart throbbed as she saw Percy, arms flung around the boy in the stands he was talking to during half-time. The white paint had been washed off his cheeks, but the purple and orange was still stuck in his hair. Jason broke from the crowd and made his way over to the girls, but mainly, Annabeth assumed, to Piper.

 “You ladies are looking fine tonight. Annabeth, I’m glad you could make it,” Jason grinned, his arm resting over Piper’s shoulders.

 “I’m glad I came, you guys did great.”

 Jason looked away and shrugged, almost like the compliment embarrassed him. Annabeth never thought she’d see a bashful quarterback. “Yeah well, Frank really whipped us into shape. Now, I’m sorry girls but I have some friends I’d like Piper to meet.”

 And with that, Piper was whisked into the foray of partyers. Hazel turned to Annabeth, a devious smile plastered on her face, “Let’s go play beer pong and teach these fools how it’s done.”

 Annabeth stomach grumbled, and she realized she’d been so caught up in the game that she hadn’t eaten a thing since lunch. “You go start, I’ll join you in a bit. I have to find something to eat first.”

 Hazel let her go with a wave and bounced off to the table, ready to give them hell. Annabeth rounded the island into the kitchen, looking grimly over the demolished snack set up. There were grocery store cupcakes and cookies, half-empty and broken in the plastic containers. She picked up a shard of triple chocolate, the rich flavour not mixing well with the whiskey still on her tongue.

 “Raspberry cheesecake is my favourite,” said a voice right behind her. Annabeth twirled around, staring into the face of Percy Jackson, “But nothing beats my mom’s.”

 Annabeth smiled, praying to god there wasn’t any chocolate in her teeth. “Nothing beats a mother’s cooking, right?”

 “Not _my_ mom’s anyway,” Percy shrugged and leaned on the counter beside her. How did he make jeans and a t-shirt look so damn good? “I’m happy you came, ceiling neighbour.”

 “Me too. I can’t believe I almost missed your impressive move in action.” Annabeth smiled, picking at more cookie crumbs.

 Percy laughed softly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, I’m just as surprised as everyone else, trust me.”

 “It was a risky move.”

 “Well if I didn’t do it we would’ve lost for sure,” Percy shrugged. His gaze wandered over the party, and fell back onto her, “Sometimes you gotta take the risk, right?”

 Annabeth felt that could be applied to more than just his move on the field, “Absolutely, but I like planning ahead though. It’s a hard habit to break.”

 “That’s fair, and probably smarter. But sometimes you just have to say ‘fuck it’, y’know? Or else you’ll always be stuck with a what if.” Percy plucked a raspberry cheesecake cookie from the assortment and bit into it with a smirk. Annabeth wondered if that’s what he was thinking when he came to talk to her.

 “Guess I’ll have to work harder on that,” Annabeth grinned, turning her attention to the counter to give herself a moment to breathe. His gaze was heavy, and she felt the heat on her cheeks.

 She glanced over the merger food options. All that was left was crumbs and the alcohol-soaked chips. Her disappointment must have been clear on her face for Percy to say, “Are you hungry?”

 “Yeah,” Annabeth grimaced, holding up a soggy chip, “Though vodka and barbecue isn’t really my thing.”

 “Here,” Percy took a step back and opened the fridge. “We got pizza earlier today, I think there might be some left.”

 “Wait, is that okay? I don’t want to take your actual food.”

 “It’s fine, no one will even miss it,” Percy opened the box that was clearly for an extra large pizza. Four slices were left. “Bacon, ham, and sausage. Does that work for you?”

 Annabeth nodded, not realizing how hungry she was.

 Percy put the box on the counter, and stepped closer with a glint in his eye. He reached above her to pull open the cupboard and grab a plate. He was standing so close they were almost touching. She could smell his soap, Old Spice, and see a small dash of freckles across his nose. She probably should’ve moved, but she stayed where she was, still as a statue. Their eyes were locked. It would take so little to kiss him. And god, did she want too. If she was more of a seasoned risk-taker, she just might have. His eyes broke first, flitting to her lips, then down the rest of her body, taking in her outfit, and back up to her eyes; and Annabeth could tell he wanted to kiss her as well. Piper would be thrilled.

 “Jackson!” someone called over the music, breaking their little bubble. Percy looked over, trying to hide his annoyance. A group of three burly guys in letterman jackets stood on the other side of the island, failing to keep the smirks off their faces. Frank stood to the side, looking apologetic, like he had tried to stop them. “You’re wanted on the floor, man!” said the middle guy.

 “In a moment, Rodriguez,” Percy’s face was neutral, but his tone told them to get the fuck out. The three boys left with some further persuasion from Frank, snickering and giggling to themselves as they disappeared into the crowd.

 Percy turned back to her, a sheepish smile on his face, “Sorry about that. Where were we?”

 Annabeth wanted to say he was about to kiss her, but she had lost her courage. Instead she went with something less romantic: “Pizza.”

 “Right.” Percy put the cold slices onto a large plate and stepped over to the microwave at the other end of the counter.

 Annabeth could feel the awkwardness bubbling, and she panicked, not wanting to lose their conversation. “So, are you part of the frat?” she blurted out, wanting to know more.

 Percy shook his head, “No, Frank and Jason are. This is their house. Some of the other guys on the team are in frats too, but not me.”

 “Not interested in the Greek Life?”

 “More like can’t afford it. But I don’t need to be in it to hold up the same morals. Jason and Frank, it’s more of a lineage thing; their fathers were in it, and so on. They like to call themselves legionnaires, though I told them that was more of a Roman flex, but,” Percy shrugged, “Who am I to stop them.”

 Annabeth nodded. “Who do you live with down in 1004, then. Roommates?”

 “Family,” Percy smiled then, his eyes crinkling at the sides. Annabeth could tell his family meant a lot to him, “My mom, my step-dad, and my little sister. She’s technically my half-sister but we ignore all that. She likes to call me her ‘whole-brother’.”

 “How old is she?”

 “Five.”

 “Wow, so young!”

 “Yeah, you want to see her?” Percy asked pulling his phone out. His lock screen flared to life, showing a picture of him and a little girl with light brown hair up in pigtails, and a wide smile missing her two front teeth. “Her name’s Estelle, after my grandmother.”

 Annabeth tried not to fawn, but the image of her Percy and his little sister smiling, with her arms wrapped around his neck, was too precious. “Oh my god, she’s so cute.”

 “I know right,” Percy was beaming as he put his phone back in his pocket, “I’d do anything for her. She makes me a better person.”

 The microwave beeped, and Percy turned to take the pizza out. It steamed, filling the air with the smell of bread and melted cheese. Annabeth tried not to lunge for a slice. It burnt the tip of her fingers, and seared her tongue.

 The two of them stood in silence for a few moments, he seemed almost as hungry as she was.

 “So,” he said after demolishing his first slice, “What about you up in 1104?”

 Annabeth swallow her mouthful, tearing chunks off her pizza crust, “I live alone.”

 Percy paused, raising a brow. “Isn’t that expensive?”

 “Yeah, but an uncle of mine died recently and he had no next of kin. And he had _quite_ a lot of money. So I got out of residence and put my share of the inheritance towards a place for myself.”

 “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Percy said, genuinely.

 “Ah, don’t be. He was pretty estranged from the family, we’re actually surprised he put us in the will. My whole family’s kind of a mess, but that’s a story for another time.”

 “I get that,” Percy picked up his second slice, “My family wasn’t always so happy. But you know, we got through it, and it was so worth it.”

 Annabeth smiled, warmth blooming in her chest, “Maybe we can share tragic stories some other time.”

 “Yeah? Like when?”

 There it was again. That glint in his eye, that quirk of his mouth. _On a date with me_ , she thought. This was her opening again, her chance to take a risk. Take the leap, catch the ball, win the game.

  _Fuck it_.

 “I don’t know. Maybe, over coff-”

 “Jackson!” They had barely enough warning before two guys jumped on Percy. It wasn’t the players from before, but they were equally as drunk with equally bad timing. “Come out with us, you’re the Man of the Hour,”

 The second one chimed in, “Stop hiding over here, we wanna celebrate our cornerback _properly_!” He emphasized every syllable in ‘properly’ as if that would further make his point.

 Percy tried to protest, but they were pulling him away. He looked apologetically at Annabeth, mouthing the words _I’m sorry_. 

 “Go ahead, Man of the Hour,” Annabeth laughed, releasing Percy to the mercy of his peers. The crowd cheered when he joined them, someone shoving a red cup filled with god-knows-what into his hand.

 Annabeth let out a wistful sigh. Minus points for her bad flirting, Annabeth felt that went pretty well, despite the interruptions. He was way more down to earth that she realized, and if she read the signals right, he seemed interested in her too.

 Finishing her pizza, Annabeth ventured back onto the floor with a triumphant smile on her face. She caught sight of Hazel, still at the beer pong table, and decided to take her friend up on the invitation to school these drunken fools.

 

-

 

An hour and a half, and three rounds of beer pong later, Annabeth was buzzed and dancing to the music with Hazel and few other girls who she didn’t know the names of but vaguely remembered becoming friends with. Piper and Jason has disappeared a while ago, and Annabeth only saw glimpses of Percy here and there. Every time she saw him, the more drunk he looked, which wasn’t a surprise considering how much people wanted to _celebrate_ with him. The last she saw, he was over by the kitchen island with Frank and his friend with the cane, knocking back drinks. Annabeth had forgot to ask about him, but they seemed really close.

 After three more songs, Annabeth had to use the washroom. She teetered from the dance floor, looking for someone to ask. She came across Frank, sitting on the back of a couch, playing King’s Cup with a large group of people. She tapped him on the shoulder, unprepared for how muscular he felt under the thin shirt.

 “Up the first set of stairs to the left,” he directed her with a precious smile, and turned back to the game.

 Annabeth gripped the railing, concentrating more than she should’ve to not roll her ankle on the stairs. She made it successfully to the top, and took a wide left to the bathroom door. Once she got there, she stopped dead in her tracks.

 The door was cracked open a little bit, and in side she could see Percy, standing between the legs of a girl sitting on the counter, their faces mashed together in a drunken kiss. The girl’s fingers gripped the back of his head, her red fingernails a stark contrast against his black hair. Her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist, not letting him go. Annabeth’s heart sank. Without a word, she turned on her heel, and wobbled back down the stairs, no longer feeling giddy and bubbly. She texted Hazel and Piper to the best of her ability, telling them it was time for her to go home. And she then left. The cool wind of the night air hit her like a wall, further sobering her.

 Annabeth thanked the universe that she only lived a few blocks away, and started her walk home. It didn’t take as long as she thought, and she stumbled into the main lobby, grateful that she had the foresight to put her keys in her pocket when she got changed. Her apartment was a stark contrast to the brownstone party. Dark, and so quiet she could hear the faint ringing in her ears. She kicked her heels off, trying to ignore the tightness in her throat.

 About fifteen minutes later, her makeup was scrubbed off, her hair thrown in a bun, and changed into cotton shorts and an oversized t-shirt. She sat on a folding chair on her fire escape, a bottle of water on the window sill beside her. Her mind felt clear at this point, but her body still felt hot. How could she have been so stupid? She thought back over the course of the night. Maybe he’d been so puffed up on his win, that he was looking for someone, anyone, to impress. Or maybe it was her. So high on excitement from the game, buzzed on the shot she took before he showed up, and blinded by her little crush on him. Maybe she had imagined it all. Or maybe he was just really friendly and she took it as flirting.

 It wouldn’t be the first time she misread someone.

 Below her, she heard a small thump like someone had knocked something over, and the faint sound of a door closing. Annabeth craned her neck and could make out that the window below hers was open. Judging by how late it was, she was guessing it was Percy’s bedroom. The Man of the Hour had managed to escape the party.

 Annabeth tried to ignore the fact that he was maybe fifty feet from her, and focused on the breeze cooling her skin. It worked until she heard it. The faint squeaking of the bed frame. A whimper. Despite her better judgement, Annabeth looked again, and two slender hands with red painted nails gripped his window sill, wisps of long hair falling out of the frame.

 Annabeth nearly tipped her chair over as she hopped back into her bedroom, and slammed the window shut behind her.

 So much for taking risks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> henlo  
> i heard your words and finished the chapter, thank you for your comments about wanting more <3
> 
> i also headcanon that Piper acts like a 'typical aphrodite girl' and that that's okay and valid
> 
> did you catch my pjo/hoo parallels?
> 
> let me know what you thought!  
> ~ Astro


	3. Chapter 3

“But we were getting along so well!” Annabeth tried not to whine as she leaned against the railing of her fire escape, fiddling with a pair of pliers. “Maybe I was being a bit hopeful but I thought there was at least  _ something _ there.”

On the other side of the platform, Leo popped his head up from behind the chair. “I believe you, and it sounds like he was flirting with you, but then he got too drunk and hooked up with someone, it’s really not that deep. Pliers please.”

Annabeth handed him the tool and he went back to his task, securing a string of lights around the banister of her platform. She’d said that she could do it herself, but Leo insisted as a form of payback for her help on his robotics project. It’d been a while since they’d hung out, anyway.

“Well it feels deep,” Annabeth crossed her arms, staring through the grated floor, “And familiar.”

She could hear Leo pause again. “Are you talking about Luke?”

“When am I  _ not _ talking about Luke? He’s…” Annabeth grappled for the right word, “Poisoned everything! Why do you think I haven’t been in a relationship since?”

“Look, what Luke did was fucked up. You were young and he took advantage of you - but this is a far cry from what he did, and I think it’s a little unfair to compare Percy to that.”

She could always count on Leo to call her out on her irrationalities. Annabeth took a long breath through her nose, allowing herself a moment to collect her thoughts. “I know that. And that’s what I’ve been telling myself, but it’s not working. Because yes, it’s not equivalent  _ at all _ , and a guy I barely know is totally allowed to sleep with whoever he wants at a frat party, but… It made me feel the same. Played, strung along…”

“Betrayed?” Leo offered.

“Discarded,” Annabeth said, “And I felt just like I did back then when I found Luke. And now when I think about the party, all I can think about is what if Percy is like him?”

“That’s an unfair judgement on someone you hardly know,” Leo shook his head and turned back to his task, “What Luke did is hard to forget, but just try and remember that you can’t hold  _ Percy _ accountable because  _ Luke _ cheated on you.”

Annabeth crossed her arms, squeezing her bicep hard, “Yeah.”

“It sounds like he’s super into you anyway.”

Annabeth frowned, “How would you know?”

“Oh my god, Annabeth, just think about it! He won the Homecoming game with a dope ass move you only see on TV. He was VIP of the night! And where was he? In the  _ kitchen _ , away from the party, talking to you. His friends had to drag him away!” Leo fastened the last section of the lights and stood, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. “Here’s what I think happened. I think he was high on adrenaline, surrounded by people boosting his ego and pouring drinks down his throat, and then I think he wanted to fuck, but he couldn’t find you,” Leo pointed to Annabeth with the pair of pliers. “What you do is up to you, just keep that in mind when you’re judging him as a person.”

Leo reached towards the windowsill, where he had set up a switch box for the lights. They flickered on, naked and pale under the afternoon sun, but Annabeth smiled regardless. “Thank you. For this and the pep talk.”

“Of course, girl.”

“Now,” Annabeth clapped her hands, trying to lighten the mood, “Should we hang the hammock or get shawarma first?”

“Uh shawarma  _ obviously _ , I’m starving. I have some electrical diagrams I want your opinion on, anyway.”

 

-

 

Annabeth’s back protested as she sat up from her hunch over the drawing table. She cracked her knuckles, her fingers still half curled from clutching her pencil for god knows how long. The translucent graphing paper stared at her, the half-drawn structure of a “artistically pleasing yet functionally practical” skyscraper almost mocking her that she’d never finish the design. Annabeth rolled her eyes and stood, joints creaking. For a spry twenty-one year old, her body sure got stiff fast. Crossing to the kitchen, she made a mental note to go to the gym soon - she really needed to pick up her training again.

Her phone dinged on the kitchen counter; a text from Rachel. Annabeth picked it up on her way to the fridge, glancing at the preview.

**Rachel: you, me, hazel. the white dove, 10pm**

The White Dove was a club on the top floor of the university’s main building. Annabeth had only been a few times, but packed rooms and loud music wasn’t really her scene. She pulled an apple from the fridge, unlocking her phone to respond.

**Annabeth: but piper said i could be a hermit after homecoming**

**Rachel: ok but I’M not piper and i made you no such promise. pls girl i haven’t seen you since the summer and ik you’re still bummed about that guy so f him and let’s go out and maybe find you someone else ;)**

Annabeth rolled her eyes, her apple left on the counter, momentarily forgotten.

**Annabeth: why y’all trying so hard to get me laid, you’re acting like i have no game**

**Rachel: i mean, you don’t**

**Rachel: sorry boo but it’s true xD**

**Rachel: ok i promise i won’t make it the goal of the night but will you still come with us? if i know you, you’re going to let architecture take over your life and i won’t see you until christmas break**

It was a really good point. The last time she had seen Rachel was some time mid-July before she and her parents fled to their private beach in the caribbean for the rest of the summer. And because Mr. Dare liked to be extra with his ultra-richness, Rachel didn’t come back to New York until after Homecoming was over. Of all her friends, she’d known Rachel the longest, but hung out with her the least, because her parents were always toting her around the world on spontaneous vacations. Annabeth liked to tease about how much of a 1% first world problem that was, but Rachel did really miss out on a lot of time with her friends.

Annabeth glanced over at her drafting table. The single lamp cutting through the growing darkness in her living room. It was Saturday night, and she had spent all day either complaining to Leo or working on homework. She shook her head, almost not believing herself when she typed out her reply.

**Annabeth: i’ll see you at 10.**

 

-

 

“You know, I used to be a goody-two shoes before I met you guys,” Annabeth pulled at the hem of her crop top, underestimating how cold it’d be that night. “I think your bad influence is rubbing off on me.”

“ _ Bullshit _ , Annabeth Chase,” Rachel crossed her arms and levelled Annabeth with her trademark no-nonsense glare. “I talked to your dad. He told me all about how you ran away a bunch of times, brought home frogs and squirrels and shit, and went to the principal's office for getting into fights.”

“She’s right,” Hazel crossed her arms too, supporting Rachel’s claim, “You were a wild child way before you met us.”

Annabeth was too caught off-guard to even try and deny it, “When the hell did you guys talk to my dad?”

“At my family barbecue last summer,” Rachel grinned.

“How many times did you run away?” Hazel asked.

Annabeth looked away, suddenly interested in the poster beside them. “Three.”

“And how many fights did you get in?”

“... Twelve.”

“Bitch, you're worse than me!” Rachel pushed her shoulder, laughing.

“Uh no,  _ I’m  _ not the one who took my daddy’s Porsche for a joyride.” Though defending herself, Annabeth couldn’t hold back her smile.

“Okay, that was  _ one time _ , and at least I wasn’t throwing hands in the school yard.”

Hazel had a hand on her stomach, failing to contain her giggles. “I find that hard to believe, Red.”

Rachel feigned offence, “Excuse you, but I went to the Gilmore Private Girls Academy of Etiquette and Grace.”

“Your dad might wanna get his money back then,” Annabeth quipped, bringing on another bout of giggles.

The bouncer cleared his throat behind them. The girls hadn’t even noticed they’d reached the front of the line. They flashed their ID cards, and the bouncer waved them in with a bored expression, and they rushed past him, snickering as they went.

The rhythmic thump of the bass could be heard among everything else, masking the song it was supposed to be accompanying. Annabeth felt it pound in her chest, just half a beat off rhythm with her heart. She could barely hear Rachel’s suggestion to start the evening with a drink, deciding to hold Hazel and Rachel’s hands while the redhead led them through the crowd. Rachel reached the bar first and immediately caught the attention of the passing bartender. Annabeth couldn’t hear what she ordered, but Rachel held up three fingers, and Annabeth had a feeling what was coming.

Rachel turned to them, her red curls illuminated by the yellow spotlight behind her, “Shots first, drinks after. And if you find someone to go home with, they have to be above a 7, or I’m not letting you go!”

The bartender returned with three shot glasses full of clear liquid. Annabeth was about to ask what it was, when the bartender placed a small bowl of salt and three lime wedges on the bar. Only one drink went with those.

The girls took a pinch of salt, each placing it neatly on the back of their hands; then they took a glass and started the routine.

Lick the salt. Take the shot. Bite the lime.

The sour lime took the edge off the sting of the tequila, but Annabeth still shuddered as she felt it bubble down her chest. She felt the lift almost immediately, her stomach warm and fizzy, and the faint lightheadedness at the back of her skull. The bartender scooped their glasses away and the girls gave him their orders. A whiskey sour for Annabeth, tequila sunrises for the other two. It didn’t take long for Hazel to drag the other two towards the dance floor, Annabeth laughing as Rachel tried to take a sip of her drink without spilling.

Annabeth wasn’t much of a dancer, but she let her body move to the beat, tossing her hair and swaying her hips. It briefly occurred to her that this was her second time partying in as many weeks. It wouldn’t become a norm, but while Rachel and Hazel danced around her, catching glimpses of their smiles in the flashing lights, Annabeth realized she’d much rather be here with them than hunched over her graphing table. She was the type to let negative things linger and grudges fester - it was a coping mechanism from her childhood, to always prepared for her dad’s absence or step-mother’s ire. But now she was moved away, it was time to start living her damned life.

Annabeth’s glass was empty quicker than she thought, and when she turned to make her way back for a second round, she caught a pair of eyes through the crowd. His blond hair looked silver under the strobing lights, and although she was too far away to tell, Annabeth would bet everything that his eyes were blue. He smiled, and her stomach wrenched. He looked too much like Luke. Annabeth broke the eye contact, and beelined to the bar, her second glass a bit more urgent now. She couldn’t tell if she felt shaky from seeing a doppelgänger, or mad because she found him attractive. She glanced back to try and find him again. He was still watching her, a cocky grin now replacing his smile. Dude even had Luke’s ego. But damn he was cute.

Annabeth looked down at the stained bar top, chewing her bottom lip. Half of her wanted to leave the club, the other half wanted to go up and introduce herself. Both were bad ideas. Leaving meant Luke still had sway over her life. Staying meant maybe she still wasn’t completely over him. Her newly refilled whiskey sour was placed down in front of her, and Annabeth took a bigger sip than was necessary. Whatever. She wasn’t drunk enough to make bad decisions yet. Entering the fray of clubbers again, Annabeth made a point to ignore the presence of the stranger, and found her friends in the middle

of the pack, looking as carefree as she wanted to be. The guy could wait until she made up her mind.

 

-

 

Somewhere during the third drink, Annabeth found Luke 2.0 weaving his way through the crowd. Hazel and Rachel had retreated to the bar again, the first time she’d been alone since her second drink. She stood, watching him or waiting for him, even she wasn’t sure. He had that same grin as before, and Annabeth didn’t know if she hated it or not. In her heels, they were at the same eye level. Her mind flashed back to the frat party, how Percy stood over her in the kitchen, his presence blocking out the rest of the party. She pushed that thought away.

“Hi,” she could barely hear him over the music, “I’m Kyle.”

_ Of course you are. _

“Annabeth,” she responded, maybe leaning in a little too closely.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your evening, but I saw you earlier and I just had to introduce myself. I don’t usually do this.”

_ Sure you don’t. _

It was a schtick that Annabeth was familiar with, and he definitely wasn’t pulling the wool over her eyes. He may have thought differently, but the power was in her hands - all she had to do was decide what to do with it.

“Why me?” Annabeth said with no tone in particular. Not flirty, but not defensive either.

He shrugged, “You just caught my eye. I’ve never seen you around here before.”

_ Boring.  _ Annabeth resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He may have looked like Luke, but this guy was striking out everywhere else. At least Luke had charisma, he could draw a crowd to him. And so did Percy. Annabeth wondered if  _ Kyle _ would ignore being the star of the night to talk with her.

“I don’t go out often,” she confessed, the whiskey drawing words out of her. “But my friends convinced me to come out and get loose.”

“How’s that going so far?”

“I’m getting there.”

“Is there anything I can do to help? Maybe I can buy you a drink?”

Despite being a boring, cookie cutter player in a club, Annabeth smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, “How about a dance?”

Kyle didn’t argue, his hands finding her hips immediately. Annabeth closed her eyes and tried to shut down her mind and let her senses take over. The beat filling her ears, the whiskey on her tongue, and the warm body pressed against her. Kyle turned her around, and pressed up against her back, his warm breath tickling her neck. Annabeth ground her hips against him, a genuine smile creeping its way on her face. This is what she wanted: a good distraction. Kyle’s hands roamed the curve of her waist, his finger brushing her exposed skin. Annabeth bit her lip. It’d been a while since someone had touched her like that.

Green eyes and black hair involuntarily flashed through her mind, and Annabeth’s eyes snapped open. She turned in Kyle’s arms to face him again, brushing her fingers against his jaw in a silent invitation. Kyle didn’t hesitate, and leaned in to kiss her. He tasted like alcohol, and pressed a little too hard against her mouth - due to being drunk or from lack of talent, Annabeth couldn’t tell. But she curled her fingers in his hair, keeping him close. A kitchen in a frat house flitted behind her eyelids, tanned skin and a charming smile, tension bubbling in a corner by the cupboards.

Annabeth pulled back to break the kiss, but stayed close to him.

“Do you want to go back to my place?”

Kyle failed at not looking eager to accept her offer, “Fuck yes.”

Annabeth took his wrist and pulled him away from the crowd. She spotted Hazel and Rachel finally returning from the bar, and shot them a pointed look. Hazel gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up, and Annabeth tried to ignore the disappointed look on Rachel’s face. Rachel was her only friend to actually witness the Luke disaster when it happened, and Annabeth could only guess what she was thinking. But Luke wasn’t why she was taking Kyle home. It was because Kyle was blond, bland, boring, and the complete opposite of Percy.

She ordered an Uber, trying her best to key in the right address while drunk and one-handed. Luckily, Ubers hovered around clubs on Friday nights, and one was immediately available right around the corner from the club. Annabeth and Kyle stumbled to the car, giggling over nothing. She tried to keep the touching and heavy petting to a minimum, feeling the judgemental gaze from the driver in his rear view mirror; but the lips on her neck felt good enough, and distracting enough, to let Kyle continue.

They arrived at her building, the two of them spilling out of the car with drunken ‘thank yous’ to the driver. Annabeth made a mental note to tip him later. They staggered into the lobby, hands laced tightly together, their stupid, drunken laughter bouncing off the marble tiles. Annabeth pulled Kyle towards the elevator, trying not to stumble over her heels.

When they were about five feet away, the elevator dinged, and the black doors slid open. Annabeth’s heart plummeted when Percy stepped out, flanked by Jason and Frank. He was laughing at something Frank had just said when he saw her. She tried not to notice how Percy’s smile dropped when he spotted Kyle, their locked hands, clearly drunk; Annabeth’s make-up was probably messed up, and she wouldn’t be surprised if there were a few hickeys forming on her neck. Percy looked away quickly, Jason and Frank also finding sudden interest in the floor when the two parties passed each other. Annabeth hearded Kyle into the elevator, who was oblivious to the whole thing. He pushed her against the wall the second she pressed her floor number, his lips to her jawline, his hands locked on her waist. Despite her better judgement, Annabeth glanced out into the lobby, catching Percy looking back at them before the elevator doors slid closed.

 

-

 

Annabeth stared at the ceiling as Kyle laid on top of her, grunting in her ear. She tried to forget about the lobby, tried to melt into the feeling of Kyle inside of her, but his methodical thrusting wasn’t good enough to take her mind off it. It wasn’t a surprise to Annabeth that her basic club pick up wasn’t a great lay, but maybe she would’ve found a way to enjoy it if Percy hadn’t crashed the party. It was astounding how he was always there, lurking around every corner, no matter where she turned. A part of her wanted to take it as a victory, as payback for him sleeping with whoever. But she knew that was childish and petty. No one won in that situation. Percy didn’t look happy, and Annabeth probably sealed her fate with him. And she didn’t even get a good fuck out of it.

Kyle shifted his weight and thrust his hips faster, as if that would do anything. Annabeth couldn’t help but notice how his head bobbed up and down with the motion, like a seesaw. She tried not to laugh.

Kyle stiffened and groaned in her ear as he orgasmed, not even bothering to pull out. Annabeth was so glad she wrestled that condom on before they started. He sat up with a pleased smile and flopped onto the bed beside her. “You were so good, baby.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes and shuffled off the bed, throwing on a t-shirt she’d left strewn across a chair. “Mhm, I’m just gonna go clean up.”

The bathroom light stabbed her eyes, and she felt a headache almost immediately start pulsing between her temples. She glanced in the mirror, her lipstick was smudged, her eyeliner half gone and staining the bags under her eyes. She looked how she felt: a mess.

When Annabeth returned to her bedroom, Kyle was snoring. He’d at least had the foresight to remove the condom before passing out. She considered sleeping on the couch, or stepping out onto the fire escape for a breath of fresh air, but she was too tired. She climbed into her bed, her back turned to him, and fell asleep the instant her head hit the pillow.

When she woke, she had a hangover and an empty bed, and the realization that her night out to make her feel better only left her feeling worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello
> 
> I’m very sorry for the late update, but life threw several wrenches my way. I really appreciate the supportive comments I got from you! This chapter has been half written for a long time, and I’m glad I was able to finish it
> 
> I promise the next one will be less angst and more cute
> 
> thank you again  
> ~ Astro

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trying to get back into fanfic and just writing in general. I wasn't sure if I should chapter this fic or do a one-shot; I decided on chaptered so I can pressure myself to keep writing it aha
> 
> Let me know if you like it so far!


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